“As a team lead that works both with people and content, this training was something I urgently needed. I most enjoyed learning from other Emerging Leaders.”

— Ana Jung

“Tough, amazing, inspiring! My biggest challenge was to move from being operationally responsible to truly leading the team. Taking that step was greatly boosted through this program. To future participants: prepare to face yourself.“

— Solco Reijnders, Head of New Business, PHYSEE

“What I loved most about this experience is that it's done by people who want to help others grow and push their limits.

I felt strongly that the main goal of Upshot is people, not money. Of course it is important, but all those part of the Upshot team are there because they believe in future leaders.

In the energy of Hayat, Neena and Laurie, there was no hidden agenda or making us feel comfortable by saying things we want to hear. We were challenged to the very core. I did not expect this experience in a million years."

— Kristin Anderson, Head of HR & Finance, LG Sonic

“I joined the ELP to support the scale-up team I was leading, while also founding a new company. I was challenged to go through a path of self-discovery. I (re-)encountered unknown parts of myself and developed a genuine, efficient, and assertive management style.

I also learned, amongst many other things, about the importance of coaching vs. order dispatching, which will have a big impact on my leadership development.

This program is perfect for upcoming leaders that want to transform their passion and commitment into firm action.”

— Mauricio Polo, Founder Rebel Architects

“An impressive journey to go through with such great peers!

The ELP taught me not to imitate other leadership styles but define my personal touch and build confidence. I learned that trust is always the most important factor in successful relationships at work and has a direct effect on results and performance.

While demanding because of the pace and focus on practice, the ELP enabled us to rapidly apply the techniques, tools and skills learned, from coaching colleagues to having difficult conversations and becoming radically candid.”

— Angélica Bercetche, Head of Implementation, Land Life Company

“The Emerging Leaders Program has helped me enormously with gaining a better understanding of my role and how I relate to others. It has helped me to become more conscious of my impact on the people around me (within and outside of my team).

The program is ideal for new leaders seeking to understand how to bring themselves and their teams to the best possible performance.”

— Reinoud van Santen, Senior Software Team Lead, Withlocals

“The Emerging Leaders Program taught me too many things to describe. It helped me become more aware of the impact my presence, behaviour and words have on those around me and how to leverage this.

I also learned how to delegate things more effectively, empower people within my team and coach them from the sidelines with stability and consistency. I have become a more confident and calm leader, which my team has noticed.

I recommend any leader that is managing a team in a scale-up to join this program.”

— Cees Jan Bastiaansen, Head of Quality, The Kingfish Company

“As a Director in a scale-up, you can be quite alone. This program made me realise all scale-up leaders face similar struggles. I built a lot of confidence and trust in my intuition, rather than solely making decisions based on historic experiences.

As a leader, your attitude and behaviour determines the commitment and reactions from your team. I learned to always be yourself. I’ve actively started soliciting feedback, have become a much better listener, and became much better at seeing and improving the growth potential of each person in my team.”

— Richard Zwart, CCO, Rollz Mobility

“I’ve done many online courses over the past years. This was the best program I’ve been a part of.”

— Ilse Kwaaitaal, Director, Impact Hub Amsterdam

"The Emerging Leaders Program taught me a lot about the effect I have on my team and how to adapt my leadership style effectively to different people in my team. I also uncovered a lot of personal blind spots through peer feedback.

Leading a technical team, I strongly underestimated the importance of building trust and using storytelling to get people to act. I'm now paying more attention to the storytelling and influencing aspect of my job to build trust and secure buy-in from my team and other stakeholders.

As a result of this program, I am committed to become better at managing up and leading transformation within our larger organisation.”

— Agostino Mirone, Software Lead, LUMICKS

“The Emerging Leaders Program made me laugh, scared me and I even got offended at times. I am now more honest with myself and others. After starting the program, I immediately started negotiating changes to my role and workload. The conversations I have with co-workers are more candid, to-the-point and energising! I just wish I'd taken it sooner but — as I learned — there is no royal path to leadership.“

— Gijs Koot, Head of Data Science, SpotrAI

“During the program I was confronted with clear shortcomings in my leadership. One of the most important learnings is that I wasn't setting clear goals for my team, which leads to a feeling of powerlessness. Another is that I have to find the right balance in management styles of my team members, it should be a good mix of coaching, supporting and delegating for all of them.

The biggest change after completing the course is that I get less stuck in circular thinking. With the toolset I learned in the program I have more grip on what is actually going on in tough situations, and what I can do to resolve them.”

— Jouke Waleson, CTO, easee